Yes – I made a goal to read only ONE BOOK a week. I think what I really meant is I would only read one fiction book a week. I have been reading ALOT of blogs lately and a couple of ebooks. I decided I would include one book on tape I listened to – I’ve never included them. I listen primarily while in my studio – they keep me company, but I rarely pay very close attention to them.
INDIGO: In Search For The Color The Seduced The World by Katherine McKinley: I am in a book club that is comprised of female artists and this was our most recent selection. We had high hopes for this book. This is the story of the author’s trip to West Africa in search of indigo cloth. It is NOT the history of indigo, it is a personal story, which I found a little tedious. It did spark an interest in learning more about the color. I felt it was a little self-indulgent, unevenly written by the author who was in Africa on a Fullbright Grant. The book jumps around, and when it gets interesting, she jumps somewhere else.
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent A Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin: I felt this was another self-indulgent book. Her “aha” moments felt to me like – “really? you just figured that out?” Most of the things in this book have been rehashed over and over again. She is a lawyer who gave it up to pursue writing. She neglects to point out her husband is the son of the former Treasury Secretary under Clinton. While the premise is a good one, I felt the writer was a little spoiled and out of touch for the most part.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Yep, you read that right! Lately I’ve started adopting the minimalist philosophy, which is decluttering and getting rid of what you don’t need. That included my books. Why am I keeping all these books to “read again”? Why, when they are available in the library. So I have made a vow to “reread” the books I keep for that reason. If I haven’t read it by the end of the year – they are out of here! So- that’s why I read this book. I have read this numerous times, but haven’t read it in probably 20 years! I think it was more enjoyable this time around. I relaxed and read it at leisure and really paid attention to it. It still only took an afternoon to read. If you haven’t read it – give yourself a lazy afternoon and sit back and read it! I will probably be reading Through the Looking Glass soon!
Firefly Beach by Meira Pentermann: This was a free download on Amazon. I read it over a weekend. The story was pretty good, a woman moves to Maine after a divorce and takes up painting again. She finds a diary of a girl who disappeared over 20 decades ago. This part of the story is pretty good. However, the main character is aided by a ball of light that she originally assumes is a firefly. I’m all for fantasy and magical realism, but this felt as though it was utilized because she (the author) couldn’t figure out how to move the story along logically. I am shocked to discover there are almost 1000 5-star reviews on Amazon. I thought it was okay, a good weekend read, but nothing more.
The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant In A Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry: This is a book you can read in under an hour. Nothing earth-shattering about creativity, but he does make his points concisely. I’ve been reading alot about creativity lately, so I will refer back to this book from time to time, as it puts alot of concepts together in one place about how to be more creative.
Fearless Fourteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich: It would be difficult not to enjoy a Stephanie Plum novel. This is the book I listened to and I really like the voices of the characters, and yes, they are characters! Yes, this series is a little silly, but they are enjoyable. I think if this was the first one you read – you’d have to find some of the back story with Stephanie, Ranger and Morelli.
Louisianna Longshot by Jana DeLeon: another free download for Kindle and it is another silly book. CIA assassin Fortune Redding is sent to Sinful, Louisianna when a price is placed on her head by an international arms/drug dealer. She pretends to be an ex-beauty queen who has come to town to inventory her recently deceased aunt’s belongings. Of course, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery when the dog finds a human bone in the bayou out back. It was an afternoon read, and even though Fortune works with a silver-haired group of women that have secrets of their own, it is full of typos!
So – that’s it for August reading! I am going to read at least one classic in September!!!!
What do you recommend?
I agree about the Happiness project, I didn’t find it very enlightening either. There was a lot of publicity around this book and I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. I also attempted Happier at home. but just couldn’t get into it.
For a classic to reread, perhaps “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott?
We often find new things to appreciate when rereading classic books (which is one reason they have become classics.) My experience of “Fahrenheit 451” was very different as a teen and a middle-aged man. For one thing, my reaction to Montag’s wife shifted drastically.
I began my review of “Brandwashed” by noting how out of touch with normal people’s lives the author seemed.
On Goodreads, I seldom read the 5-star reviews. Too much gushing, and at least some of them tend to be written by friends and family of the author. But some of those 5-stars are because the book just happens to fit exactly into what that reader wanted.
I always enjoy hearing about what you’ve been reading, and I was interested in your take on Indigo. It’s been on my radar for a bit but I don’t know anyone who had read it, and now I’m less inclined to put add it to my list.
How fun that you’ve reread Alice in Wonderland. I’ve been checking out various illustrators versions of the tale. Dali even did one, although that edition is literally impossible to get one’s hands on.
Your comment about The Happiness Project cracked me up. I have “Happier at Home” on my to read shelf. For the classic, I vote for anything by Edith Wharton.
Vickie, I enjoy your book reviews. A recent quiet, well-written book I read is a first novel by Karen Kelly, Prospice.
i want to read classics regularly – so I need to recheck Edith Wharton out